Obama's VP pick remains mystery despite more clues

RALEIGH, N.C. -- Days, perhaps hours, before an expected announcement of his running mate, Barack Obama offered some clues Tuesday as to what he's looking for, suggesting that his pick might be an independent-minded person with a strong populist streak.

"I won't hand over my energy policy to my vice president without knowing necessarily what he's doing," the presumptive Democratic nominee said.

Obama dropped the masculine pronoun several times in an answer to a supporter's question here about his plans for his running mate. It was not clear whether it was a generic "he," or a signal that New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton and Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius are no longer under consideration.

Speaking here, Obama said he's looking for a "key adviser" willing to stand up to the president when he's wrong, and able to take over for him if he is incapacitated. He also said he's looking for someone who wants "to rebuild the middle class."

"I want somebody who is mad right now that people are losing their jobs and is mad right now that people have see their incomes decline," Obama said.

Anticipation of Obama's announcement, already feverish, spiraled higher Tuesday when his campaign announced an event Saturday in Springfield, Ill., the state capital where the senator launched his presidential bid a year and a half ago. That event, a kickoff for a Midwestern campaign swing ending with his arrival at the Democratic National Convention in Denver, would seem an ideal opportunity to introduce a running mate.

Not far away is Indiana, home to a possible vice presidential pick, Evan Bayh. Bayh is a member of the Senate intelligence committee and former Indiana governor with a record of winning in Republican territory.

On Thursday, Obama will travel with another potential running mate, Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine.

Like Obama, Kaine is a former civil rights lawyer. He took a year off law school to serve as principal of a small Catholic school in Honduras, where he became fluent in Spanish.